February 26 2003, 13:09 APK-Inform

Ukraine might have to reseed over 3.5 mln ha of winter crops - a scientist

At a radio conference in Ukraine's Ministry of Agrarian Policy President of Ukrainian Agrarian Academy Mykhaylo Zubets informed the audience that Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences on February 20 had considered current situation with winter crops on the whole 8.4 million hectares, seeded with these crops, and had come to a conclusion that the situation was the most difficult within the past 20 years. He said that Ukrainian farmers might have to re-seed over 3.5 million hectares of winter crops and might thus need an extra 1.2 to 1.5 million hryvnias ($225,000 to 281,000) for the purpose.

Virtually all plantings of winter barley, winter rape and weakly developed plantings of winter wheat have been killed. 40 percent of plantings are under the tight icy crust, which is in presence for over 50 days and which threatens to practically completely kill the crops on those fields, the scientist said. "What is worse is that situation aggravates day by day", he said.